Little Addie is a very needy little girl, starving for attention. She has some scarring around her muzzle, and it’s not clear how it got there. It could have been a muzzle, or her trying to get through a fence, but it doesn’t detract from her sweetness or her looks. She would thrive with someone who could take the time to love and care for her. She will certainly return the affection many times over.

There is sponsorship money on this sweetheart! Email Allyson at athenspets@gmail.com if your licensed rescue group saves her, and I will put you in touch with her sponsor. Hurry!

We have had Ozzie the Brown shepherd and Sawyer the white since Jan 2007. They are both neutered. My youngest son was born in 2006, so the dogs and he have grown up together. He has literally crawled all over them, and they have just let him. They have always been good with my kids. I am going through a very unexpected divorce. My husband announced three days after Christmas he didn't love me anymore after 10 years, and took a taxi and left.

He is living in NY, and has only come back to see kids maybe three times. He was paying the bills, as I have been a stay at home mom and student for the past four years, but now he has abruptly stopped, and I am terrified. My lease is up in July, and I can’t even say where we will be.

My father lives in an all senior place, so we cannot go there. I really need to find my dogs a new home, as I am so scared of what could happen to them. I started searching for a home for them in Jan and I am doing everything in my power not to have to take them to humane society.

They enjoy playing together and going to the dog beach so they can interact with other dogs as well. Sawyer is very timid, and he prefers to hide in a corner when there is any tension, and there has been plenty in our home as of late.

I am so stressed in trying to put up a brave front for my kids, so they think I'm okay, which I'm not, and trying to desperately find a job. I have no money now, and I had to borrow $75 from my dad, and I was able to get Chef Boyardee, 10 for $10, and a couple chickens and some brown rice, and a small bag of publix brand dog food, but I'm running out again. They have always had Eukanuba and now we are all poor.

Please help me find a Loving, Safe, Warm home for them. I also would be willing to make itshort term until I can get back on my feet again. Maybe a year. I don't know. We love them so much, and I feel sick that my husband has done this, and won't even help with the dogs or care that could be euthanized if I have to get rid of them.

Age of each dog - they will both be 5 in Dec and Jan.Up to date on shots? They were due for shots in March. I have no money to do it right now.On heartworm prevention - Same thing as shots.Like other dogs - I have taken them to dog beach many times, they do like other dogs.like other cats - Never been around cats ever.Crate trained - I don't keep them in crates they roam free in my home, but I'm sure they would be fine as long as crates are HUGE.house trained - yesjump a fence - nodig out of fence - no

West Palm Beach, FL - This is Angus, a 7 yo Chow that due to a death in the family, he ended up losing his owner of 7 years, his home, and was being taken to be put down at the local shelter when the owners mother decided she did not want to deal with him and finding him a new home. For some unknown reason I became aware of this situation. Perhaps it was fate that I needed to save him. So I arranged for a friend to pick him up and take him to my vet for boarding while an alternative comes up. I love Chows and have owned up to 3 at one time but right now I have 6 dogs at home and cannot take in any more so I am begging for help so this poor boy does not end up staying locked in a cage at the vet's office. Chows get depressed when they are not with human company and I know he is already traumatized enough with the loss of his owner and his home to on top of that add the trauma of being left locked in a cage by himself. This is a sweet boy that is friendly, house trained, and pretty much keeps to himself.

I need a foster or even better would be a new forever home. He is neutered and I will have him fully vetted over the next few days and will groom him too. If a rescue can take him into a foster home, I will surrender him to that rescue once he is vetted and groomed.

I beg everyone reading this email, please forward this email and share Angus story with as many of your contacts as possible and help me give this sweet boy the life he deserves. For more information please call

FOR ALL ADOPTION INQUIRIES/QUESTIONS PLEASE CONTACT THE SHELTER DIRECTLY AT: 352-343-9688 MONDAY-FRIDAY FROM 10-4 OR PLEASE VISIT IN PERSON MONDAY-FRIDAY 10-6 AND SATURDAY 10-4 (THE SHELTER IS CLOSED THE 3RD SATURDAY OF EVERY MONTH)

**PLEASE READ THIS** ALL THE DOGS LISTED BELOW ARE POSTED ON G.R.I.T.S IN THE TAVARES, FL PUPPIES/DOGS ALBUM IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE ON FACEBOOK OR SEE THEIR PICTURES LARGER AND UNALTERED (I HAVE TO REDUCE SIZE & LIGHTEN FOR MASS EMAILS)...JUST CLICK THE LINK....THANK YOU.

I am asking my friends for donations to Satchel's Last Resort. Anything you can donate will be GREATLY appreciated by all of us @ the shelter. We are having to cut the staff down to a skeleton crew and the owners are doing the job x2 with very little sleep. They dedicate their lives to this shelter to take the dogs that the local shelters were going to put down so these dogs are getting a 2nd/3rd chance here at Satchels. I personally am concerned at this point if we are going to continue so here I am asking for any little bit from you...PLEASE, PLEASE consider it. Donations can be sent to satchelslastresort.com (click on Donate link). Again, thank you from all of us:)

Because this is the shelter I am a part of, I had to post this on my blog. Every day I run animals who for one reason or another, need to find a rescue or a spot where they are in no danger. In this area, Satchel's is that spot. As the above note states, many of our dogs have been given a second and sometimes third chance for a home, and this mission is not taken lightly.Unfortunately, we are in the same boat many shelters are. Donations have wound down to a trickle and so have adoptions. We have over 70 dogs right now and they must all be fed and taken care of. It is a huge task but is done so lovingly by the staff and owners of the shelter. Please, please, please I am begging you. If you can find it in your heart to donate to us we would be forever grateful.You can log onto satchelslastresort.org or send a check by mail to 8101 Coash Road, Sarasota, Florida 34241.

Friday, April 27, 2012

I received another email this morning about another URGENT dog who needed someone to save her. Her family had lost their home, had to move in with relatives and their dog did not like other dogs so they were going to have the dog euthanized. KILLED. Beloved family pet killed because they couldn't take it where they were going. No thought of training. No requests for help in getting a place smaller and more affordable. No thought to even taking it to a shelter where she might stand a chance. Just off to the vet to be killed.
Now, the animal lover in me can think up all kinds of names to call this person. Just like every time an animal is turned into a shelter or veterinary clinic because they are too old, too sick, too whatever and the family simply cannot cope.
A friend of mine who moved here from up north came down with her family and two dogs. She could not find a house to rent at the time which would allow her to have her dogs. So she rented a storage unit and lived there until she could find a place for her and her family.
That is an extreme story, but true.
So despite the fact I would love to call people all kinds of names. I would love to tell them what kind of people I think they are, I won't.
I will publish this dog on my blog. I will share this dog on Facebook and ask everyone I know to share it with all their friends.
Because, as Nanny used to say, when you put it all in a pot and boil it up it all comes out the same. Name calling won't save this dog. People who actually care will save this dog.

SHE IS ONLY 8 YRS OLD THEY LOST their HOME MOVED IN WITH RELATIVES AND CANNOT TAKE THE DOG WITH THEM THEIR FAMILY PET BELOVED FAMILY PET THEY ARE CHOOSING TO EUTHANIZE THIS POOR HEALTHY DOG. PLEASE SOMEONE OUT THERE DONT LET THEM, SAVE TRINITY PLEASE SHE WILL BE KILLED FRIDAY, 4/27/12 CALL IMMEDIATELY BEGGING BEFORE ITS TOO LATE. TRANSPORT CAN BE DONE.

The longer I am involved in animal rescue, the more I find myself disgusted by the media. This reveals a lot because the media paid my bills for over 35 years.
I would like to think the reporters and editors I was involved with during that time had more integrity and brains than the ones being churned out today, but maybe I am biased.
One of the most important aspects of a news story was truth. Gossip and innuendo were not published and if you did not check your facts, you did not keep a job very long. A good editor could spot laziness a long way off.
The continued bashing of larger breed dogs by the mainstream media concerns me. I believe many of these misguided reporters have never been around many of these types of dogs and have preconceived notions about them, including fear of the unknown and acceptance of other uneducated reporters.
Did you know the number one reported dog bite in Florida is the Labrador Retriever? No? Perhaps the reason dog bites are so high from Labradors in Florida is because they are also the number one dog breed owned in Florida. Guess what the number two breed is? If you said pitbull you would be correct. So guess what the number is for dog bites from pitbulls? Number two.
Okay, let me ask you this: If you were bitten by a chihuahua or a pomeranian, would you report it? What if it was your daughter's dog? A neighbor's? A stray?
As the owner of several rotties, I had my share of people who were afraid of my dogs.When I first moved into my house in Sarasota, my calm, couch potato dogs alerted me to something in my backyard. Now I have a privacy fence, but when I got out back there were two adolescent boys sitting on the fence throwing things at the dogs and generally getting them riled up. I spoke to the dogs and my neighbors and it never happened again. What if it had? What if one of those boys had fallen in my yard and been bitten? Would my dogs have been taken and destroyed? They were doing what has been bred into them. They were protecting my yard from intruders. Do you think they understood the difference in teenage boys and serial killers? Do we give them credit for knowing the difference or destroy them for being a dog?
I believe many media outlets use dog stories with shocking headlines to grab readers. They don't really care if the facts were checked and verified. They take something they may have found on a website and print it as the truth.
When I read this story in Jacksonville, I was appalled the station actually printed the story on their website. For now, it cannot be found. I hope the pressure put on this station caused them to remove the story. I believe it was pure laziness on the part of the reporter. The problem is many people will read a story condemning a certain breed of dog and believe it, even when the reporter did not have a clue what he was writing about.
A few days ago, the guy who marks the ground for buried cable came to my house before they install a new back fence. I was out by the pool and both of my dogs were with me. He opened my gate and came inside and Betty, my hound/Florida Brown Dog charged at him. I don't believe she would have taken a bite, but she could have. I put the dogs in the house so he could mark the ground and as he was leaving he commented on my "boxer" and how he had heard they could be mean. Boxer? I don't have a boxer. He thought Betty was a boxer. I have no doubt had he been bitten, he would have reported a boxer bit him.
Improper identification runs rampant by John Q. Public and the media. It is too bad people are not educated in dog breeds and continue to report erroneous information about them.
Thanks Janet, Rosemary, Leigh, Joel, Susan, Michelle, and all those bosses I have had who demanded correct information in stories. It is a sad day for me to have to tell you there are not many of you left.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

We know that there is GREAT STRENGTH in numbers! The more support county commissioners see for a strong ordinance, the more likely they are to pass one.

Therefore, we encourage LOHV members to support passage of the anti-tethering ordinance by attending the public hearing set for:

9am on Tuesday, May 8th

Commission Chambers

(1112 Manatee Avenue West, Bradenton, FL 34205)

If you wish to speak during the meeting, please plan to arrive early to sign up to do so (you do not have to speak if you do not wish to). Speaking is limited to three minutes. Please state that you are a member of The League of Humane Voters and ask for an ordinance that "prohibits unattended dog tethering".

To make it easier for commissioners to identify our members, please wear a RED shirt.

We ask members who are unable to attend the meeting to contact commissioners via phone or e-mail.

Milo is the sweetest dog you will ever lay eyes on. This loving boy is a Beagle/ Basset Hound mix, weighs 37 lbs, and loves to cuddle. His favorite things include going on long walks, and receiving hugs and kisses. He is a blessing to any home since he is very mild mannered, house trained, and almost never barks. He may have a sad look on his face, but that is just the Basset in him. He is a very happy pooch so long as he has a companion to share his happiness with. He's even great with kids! But he needs a loving home with a family that will show him what it is to belong. Will you be the heart he calls a home?

My Story:

I am a 24 year old girl who just graduated college. I found Milo last December, and decided to keep him when I couldn't find him a home. Ok, the truth is, I wanted to keep him because I fell in love with how sweet he was. I felt lucky to have found such an adoring dog who didn't bark, wasn't crazy hyper all the time, but who still loved to run, play, and cuddle. I felt like him and I were the perfect match and I was meant to find him. But now, I have to leave to Europe for the summer, and I might stay there longer than just a few months. I can't bring him with me, and I refuse to dump him anywhere were he wouldn't get the utmost attention and love that he deserves. He is in need of a family that will make him feel like a part of the pack. I leave May 6th, and so it is URGENT that Milo finds a loving home ASAP. Anyone who decides to take him in, will quickly realize how lucky they are to have found such an amazing dog. It a shame that I can no longer be that person. But bring him into your heart, and you will receive nothing but joy, and love. Sound too good to be true? See for yourself. His heart is bigger than many other people I know. Milo, is truly an amazing dog, and it's a shame I can't keep him. Please only consider adopting him if you feel you can provide for him all the love and respect he deserves.

HUCKLEBERRY......Full pedigree Basset Hound. He is about 5 years old weighs 40 pounds and is the nicest dog. Great with everyone, other dogs loves his belly scratched. House trained. He was found on the streets and we have him safe in our shelter. Please call Robbie at 305-799-1567 if you would like to meet this truly wonderful dog.

MARY JANE......Border Collie mix is the sweetest dog around. Loves to kiss and be pampered. She is about 4 years old and loves people and once she knows them other dogs. At about 50 pounds she is perfect. Please call Robbie at 305-799-1567

I remember having a discussion with the top person at an animal rescue where I volunteered about volunteers. She felt such a disdain for the volunteers, she stated on more than one occasion she would like to do away with the whole volunteer program because she felt it was useless and the shelter did not gain anything by it.
Having this kind of attitude succeeded in running off many volunteers, which led to a decline in adoptions and donations and the deaths of numerous dogs and cats who were highly adoptable She has since been let go. (her cohort is still employed there for the time being) It will take many months for them to regain what they lost in a few short weeks.
Manatee County doesn't harbor such thoughts. Check out this story in the Bradenton Herald.

Through no fault of my own, I am up working in the wee hours of the morning. Of course, this means I am sitting here waiting on a phone to ring, which may or may not happen. When I have chunks of time on my hands with nothing else to do but think of questions concerning animals, I come up with so many questions, the computer can't keep up with the speed of my typing.
My main question tonight is: Why do we label dogs? I remember when there were two kinds of dogs. There were purebreds and mutts. You could get either kind in any size you wanted, short or long hair. I remember Daddy saying mutts were the best so have always been partial to those kind of dogs.
Now it seems many people, even rescue people are always quick to put a label on a dog when the truth is they don't really know. Unless someone uses the failproof method of DNA testing, it is anyone's guess what a mutt is.
I remember meeting a dog years ago whose name was Hobo. I did not meet Hobo when he was a puppy, but he apparently looked just like a Jack Russell Terrier mix and was adopted out as one. Eighty pounds later, it was obvious he was some kind of hound mix.
So, why can't we go back to those more simple times when a purebred was a purebred and a mutt was a mutt? Doesn't that make more sense? Just sayin'

I love reading stories like this one. There seems to be an abundance of adoptive homes in New England and not enough adoptable dogs. So this rescue is pulling dogs on death row and transporting them to New England. Enjoy the story.

Monday, April 23, 2012

Control 1098, pit mix female.These animals sit at the end of the road behind a landfill – no visibility to the public, not on any websites except our listings – high kill, very rural – we are only provided with photos, we don’t have any other information– please contact the shelter immediately if you can help – the shelter is full and many are down to their last two days! Please be respectful to the shelter and serious inquiries only – very small staff here that want to help – I am just a volunteer listing for the shelter and do not have any additional information – COMMENTS HERE WILL NOT BE SEEN BY THE SHELTER- YOU MUST CONTACT THE SHELTER DIRECTLY IF YOU CAN HELP – PLEASE BE RESPECTFUL AND SERIOUS INQUIRIES ONLY – OUT OF TIME SO PLEASE CALL OR EMAIL IF YOU CAN HELP – please don’t ask the shelter to send you a dog out of state – if you are an out of state adopter, you need a transport plan in place – transport is the responsibility of the adopter – this is a small animal control and can’t help with that

Patches has one week to find a home. She is a spayed 6 year old and a dainty 85 pounds. I am told she looks like an American Bulldog, but I don’t know the breed. She might be a Boxer/Pittie mix

Patches is current on vaccinations and rabies as of Feb. 2012. She is HW negative and taking heartworm/flea preventive. She ishousebroken. Patches loves attention and nudges your hand for petting and rolls over for tummy rubs. She is good with older children and male dogs. Not sure about cats or female dogs. Patches enjoys car rides (see photo) with her nose out the window. She is good on leash during walks and bike rides.

The only thing going against her is medical. She has Addison disease requiring a monthly injection of Percorten. Vet Kim Castro at Animal Clinic in Edgewater has offered to provide the treatment free of charge to an adopter. Patches is given 1/2 tab of Prednisone tablet once per day and will come with the remaining 8 month supply. She also takes 1 Thyroxine two times a day. There is an 80 day supply with a 90 day script refill.

Patches was abandoned by her owner. Kristi took Patches in and had hoped to find her a home before she herself has to move onApril 30. She cannot take Patches with her. Patches and Kristi are currently in New Smyrna Beach. Transport help is available.

If you can take Patches into rescue or know of a good adoptive home for this precious girl, please contact Kristi at:

PLEASE SHARE FOR THESE DOGS AT COLLIER COUNTY DOMESTIC ANIMAL SERVICES - ALL LISTED ARE CONSIDERED URGENT - SOME ARE FOR RESCUE ONLY AND SOME ARE LONG TIMERS NEEDING EXPOSURE FOR ADOPTION OR RESCUECollier County Domestic Animals Services7610 Davis Blvd, Naples, FLCONTACT IS SUE WEATHERFORD sweatherford@comcast.net**All animals pulled from this shelter are spayed/neutered, UTD on shots, Microchipped – 501(c)3 required to pull - $20 pull fee

LONG TIMER - ADOPTABLE OR RESCUE151085 - DonnieMale10 monthsHW neg – healthyDonnie is a love! He is very friendly and outgoing and does great at outside events. LONG TIMER - ADOPTABLE OR RESCUE 117837 – DixieSpayed & ready to goRetriever/Shep mix2 yearsHealthy – HW negDixie loves to play and is a happy girl!!

Last Wednesday I was told about a lady (age 55) who died unexpectedly and left behind five Shih Tzus – a 13 year old mother and her four 11 year old puppies. They were going to be put down, so we brought them to Sarasota. I have large dogs, so they are staying with a friend.

The dogs are all healthy and active and have been vaccinated for rabies. There is no record of any heartworm preventative but since they were primarily house dogs – this should not be an issue. Sophie has cataracts and two of her puppies have some skin problems but their skin is already clearing up. All dogs have been spayed or neutered.

Attached are some pictures.

Sophie is the mother, and her puppies are Ripper, Andy, Sammy and Chin Chin, the one female.

This family needs to either be adopted out as a group – or at the very least, two dogs and three dogs.

About Me

I am passionate about animals. After owning and working with animals for years, I believe we must be their voice and it will only be through education and legislation we can stop the euthanasia of millions of animals in this country every year.
I am a volunteer with my local shelter and put in as many hours as my schedule allows. I own 2 rescue dogs, Buzz and Betty, the 2 Florida Brown Dogs in the photo with me.
I believe those that could, should, whether it be money or time because the animals cannot speak for themselves.